DayZ Gets A New WildernessMap With Livonia DLC

Okay, I’ll be honest. I didn’t know DayZ was still around. I stopped following it about the time they revoked my Steam key because it, “wasn’t ready for critical review.” That was four years ago. Every once in awhile I see some Youtube headline about why DayZ died or how DayZ is still fun or something. To me, it was relegated to the status of internet oddity; a perpetually unfinished project with so much potential that it drew equal legions of devoted fans and vitriolic haters. When I heard news of the DLC drop, I had to go to the Steam page to check that DayZ had actually come out. Not that being in Early Access means you can’t release DLC. Thanks for breaking that ground ARK: Survival Evolved.

To be clear, I actually liked DayZ when I played it. I wasn’t any good at it, but I appreciate what it was trying to do. It’s a game with a staggering amount of mechanics, each with its own layers of complexity. It’s the kind of game that really isn’t designed for noobs, but will constantly attract a steady stream due to the novelty factor. Still, you can’t talk about DayZ without addressing the controversy. The game took an incredibly long time to release and left many fans wondering what happened to so many promised features.

So that brings us to Livonia. A new map for DayZ, Livonia is available now for $13.99. The new map is 163 km, which is 67 km smaller than the previous map. This smaller size is intentional, as Livonia is designed to encourage more player interaction. Which always means getting ganked. So if you’re a fan of ganking, this should be your speed. The setting is also more rural, with woods, rivers, and only the occasional small group of buildings. You’ll have to hunt to survive and contend with new vicious wildlife (bears). The DLC comes paired with a patch that adds several new features to DayZ. There are some new weapons, attachments, fishing, bears, and various bug fixes and tweaks. These features are available in both the base game and Livonia DLC, but will be more of the focus in Livonia’s wilderness environment.

So, is Livonia worth $14? I personally love the idea of a DayZ that’s more solo/survival focused. I’m the kind of guy that just wants to build my cabin by a river and catch trout while the whole zombie thing blows over. However, I’m not a great barometer of what fans want. According to the comments section, they just want their cars to stop flying. Which sounds like the coward’s approach to suddenly learning your car can fly.

So how about you guys? Are you willing to pay $14 for a map? Are you excited for the new changes? Have you embraced your vehicle’s capacity for flight? Let me know!